Comment by waterproof

I'm not an Elon fan, but the timeline here is interesting:

The Model 3 Standard was released in October 2025 priced starting at $37k.

The $7500 federal EV tax credit was scheduled to apply to that car but was killed early by the OBBBA, ending in September 2025. Had the tax credit still been in place as planned, presumably the sticker price would have made it under $30k.

It sure looks like Tesla worked hard to hit their $30k sticker price but then Congress pulled the 'ol switcheroo. Elon left the Trump administration in ~June 2025, just before the OBBBA was passed, calling the OBBBA a "disgusting abomination".